WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. -- Bates junior Liam Byrne took home first place in the hammer throw and senior captain Liam Evans won the decathlon, highlighting the first two days of the New England Division III Outdoor Men's Track and Field Championships for the Bobcats.

Byrne (Ridgefield, Conn.) got his meet off to a strong start on Friday, winning the hammer throw with a personal record heave of 55.71 meters. He is just getting started, as Byrne is scheduled to compete in the shot put, the discus, and the javelin on Saturday.

Over the course of two days, Evans (Sauquoit, N.Y.) recorded a personal record of 6,167 points in the decathlon and moved into sixth place on the Bates all-time performance list in the event. He won four of the 10 events, earning first place in the 1500 meters (4:38.06), the javelin throw (45.95 meters), the pole vault (4.40 meters), and the discus (30.42 meters). He also finished second in the 400-meter dash (52.15 seconds) and third in the shot put (10.42 meters). 

Junior Evan Koch (Brattleboro, Vt.) also performed well in the decathlon, taking fifth place with a personal record of 5,619 points. Koch won the 110-meter hurdles in 16.01 seconds. He also placed second to Evans in the 1,500 meters in a tight 1-2 finish, recording a runner-up time of 4:38.08. 

Elsewhere, junior Ryan Smith (Westport, Conn.) took third in the 10,000 meters in 31:39.83 and sophomore Victor Kering (Eldoret, Kenya) placed seventh in 32:19.42. 

The New England Division III Outdoor Men's Track and Field Championships continue Saturday at 10am.